Disk-shaped object sorters have been provided in automatic vending machines and game mechanisms such as slot machines in order to verify the authenticity of disk bodies (coins or game medals and the like) inserted through a disk-shaped object slot, accept the disk bodies that are confirmed to be genuine, and return the disk bodies that are confirmed to be false.
FIG. 9 is a conceptual front view of a main portion of a conventional disk-shaped object sorter; it shows the vicinity of a disk-shaped object slot 2.
The disk-shaped object sorter 1 comprises a first disk-shaped object guiding path 3 for guiding downward a disk-shaped object inserted into a disk-shaped object slot 2 and a second disk-shaped object guiding path 5 connected to the downstream end of the first disk-shaped object guiding path 3 and composed of one inclined transfer rail 4 for guiding the inserted disk-shaped object in the direction inclined to the right, as shown in the figure. The reference symbol 13 in FIG. 9 stands for disk-shaped object detection means for measuring the authenticity of the disk-shaped object or the number of the disk bodies that have passed.
As shown in FIG. 10, which is a cross-sectional view along AA in FIG. 9, the first and second disk-shaped object guiding paths 3, 5 comprise a main plate 6 and a gate plate 7 for opening and closing the surface of the main plate 6.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, disk-shaped object thickness restricting means 8 for verifying the authenticity of the disk-shaped object by restricting the thickness of the inserted disk-shaped object is provided in the first disk-shaped object guiding path 3.
The conventional thickness-restricting means 8 comprises a thickness screw 9 provided in the main plate 6. The thickness screw 9 is provided in a condition of protruding, from the surface of the main plate 6, toward inside the first disk-shaped object guiding path 3, thereby restricting the thickness of the disk-shaped object falling down inside the first disk-shaped object guiding path 3 in the gap between the rear surface of the gate plate 7 and the distal end of the thickness screw 9. The gap between the distal end of the thickness screw 9 and the rear surface of the gate plate 7 opposite thereto is set to be almost equal to or slightly larger than the thickness of the genuine disk-shaped object.
With such a thickness-restricting means 8, as shown in FIG. 11, if the thickness of the inserted disk-shaped object 10 is equal to or less than the thickness of the genuine disk-shaped object, the disk-shaped object passes through the thickness-restricting means 8 and is guided by the second disk-shaped object guiding path 5 located downstream of the thickness-restricting means.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12, when the thickness of the inserted disk-shaped object 11 is larger than the thickness of the genuine disk-shaped object, the disk-shaped object comes into contact with the distal end of the thickness screw 9 of the thickness-restricting means 8.
As a result, the disk-shaped object 11 having a thickness larger than that of the genuine disk-shaped object stops between the distal end of the thickness screw 9 and the rear surface of the gate plate 7, thereby preventing the disk-shaped object 11 having a thickness larger than the specified thickness from being inserted.
If the gate plate 7 is moved in the direction of arrow B with respect to the main plate 6 and opened, the disk-shaped object 11 with a thickness above the specified thickness that was stopped between he distal end of the thickness screw 9 and the rear surface of the gate plate 7 will fall down as shown by arrow C and will be rejected and returned.
The reference numeral 15 in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 denotes well-known disk-shaped object outer diameter sorting means formed in the second disk-shaped object guiding path 5 for sorting the disk bodies according to the difference in the outer diameter thereof. This disk-shaped object outer diameter sorting means 15, as shown in FIG. 10, comprises a notch 7a formed in the gate plate 7 and an inclined surface 7b. 